On the Rack: American Vampire Second Cycle #1

American Vampire is a vampire story the way they are meant to be told. It does not hold back the violence or shy away from carnage, but gore doesn’t shape the story either. The second cycle of the Eisner award winning series features Skinner Sweet and Pearl Jones, both main characters from the original story arc and is written by Scott Snyder and illustrated by Rafael Albuquerque, the original creative team.

While the story does continue from the events in cycle one, Snyder fills in the gaps without too much exposition making this a great jumping on point. When I picked this up, I couldn’t imagine how it could hold up to its precursor, but I was happily surprised. The book integrates the stories of Skinner Sweet and Pearl Jones who are separated. They each have their own narrative which seem to have nothing to do with the other, but Snyder weaves between them seamlessly. Then there is Albuquerque’s art which feels extremely cinematic. Between the moody colour pallet and each panel having such a unique perspective, Albuquerque has created a world perfectly built for a vampire horror story.

According to Snyder himself, readers can look forward to an epic story arc in cycle two. He promises to bring “the characters old and new crashing together with nothing less than the fate of the country hanging in the balance.” This first volume definitely hints at this larger conflict, and it sows the seeds of a big bad. American Vampire Second Cycle promises to be just as exciting as its first volume and definitely one of the most thrilling books out there.